Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Cafe Angelato was so new when I dropped by, there was still brown wrapping paper on the stools. The owner was debating light fixtures. The refrigerators and the gelato case looked brand new, right off the truck.

It is a very small place serving coffees and gelatos, with a good location just across Rytířská from the Tourist Information Center, a block from the bottom of Wenceslas Square. But it is a little hard to spot because the sign out front is rather small.

When I have gelato, I almost exclusivly go for chocolate. I'm willing to mix it with other flavors, like coconut or hazelnut. I'm quite conservative in these matters. The chocolate here looked very rich. But I didn't try it.

Why?

Because V had just made a large, seriously intense flourless chocolate cake. Just for me. I was doing my best to demonstrate my appreciation and eat it all, but I was beginning to overdose. I eventually had to bring some of it to work. A few colleagues helped me finish it.

So?

I ordered a single serving of the mango gelato on a cone. If I had paid, it would be 30 CZK.* This is 20 CZK less than the single serving in the fancy surroundings at Cremeria Milano. The rent must be pretty high down there on Pařížská.

Anyway, I thought the mango gelato was just great. It had a very intense flavor of real mangos. Sweet and sour goodness.I mentioned to the owner that I thought it was great stuff. He said he uses mangos from India. My friend told me the owner has a factory in Prague that supplies gelato to a number of other shops around the city.

I don't know why, but I've had a thing for mango lately. I recently had a mango daiquiri at La Casa Argentina. In spite of the steaks, I haven't been back in many months, partly because of the service issues I mentioned in my earlier post.

A friend and his wife wanted to go to the swinging chair cocktail bar they have in the back. So we were swinging for a while. Which has it moments.But my mango daiquiri, which cost 160 CZK, was pretty lousy. It tasted like metalic crushed ice, with a light hint of the tropical fruit.

And I almost forgot to mention it, but the bartender stirred the drink at one point with a spoon, took a taste, then continued stirring. I've seen bartenders do a taste, but then throw the spoon in the sink, but this was something new. If she wasn't so cute, I would have complained, but I let it go.

Honestly, I want to find things to like at La Casa Argentina. I thought the steaks were the best I've had in Prague. They just make it so hard. But the problems I've experienced certainly don't seem to be hurting their business. It was packed to the rafters on a Friday night.

Anyway, where were we? Oh, yeah. Mango gelato.

I didn't try anything else at the place. I had no other gelato, no coffee-based drinks. Nothing.

I can only give my honest, uncorrupted opinion on the mango gelato, entirely uninfluenced by any factor other than my love of mango and my desire to share that with the world.*

*Full disclosure: My friend is a friend of the owner. My friend invited me to drop by with him. I got a gelato cone from the owner because I was with his friend. He wouldn't take my money. The owner did not know I was going to write about his place. Besides, I cannot be bought for a free gelato. My price is much, much higher than that.

5 comments:

Hi there - I just stumbled on your blog by googling Angelato because I'm posting about it today on my blog. I visited Angelato during a recent trip and LOVED it! They weren't doing much business while I was there, but I hope they can advertise and then hang on, because it's the best gelato in Prague.

Angelato is definitely my favorite ice cream place in Prague! Every single flavour I tried was delicious. Just beware- the portions are massive! :) Service is great, and coffee one of the best I had in Prague. Espresso ristreto is served straight away, and the owner advised me to drink it straight away if I want to enjoy the full flavour. (I learned later that's what Italians do, and this is how I have had my espresso ever since). hanks for reviewing Angelato, I recommend it as well!

About Me

A long-time resident of Prague. A former resident of New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and London.
I'm just a peripatetic patron of Prague's restaurants and bars.
I started Prague's first English-language food and drink blog to share my experiences.